The Mayor and Council of Saugeen Shores are committed to strengthen and strive towards improved services valued by the community while at the same time respecting our unique diversity.

Saugeen Shores Council is composed of a Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Vice Deputy Mayor who are elected at large and 6 Ward Councillors who serve for a term of 4 years.

It is the role of Council to represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality; to develop and evaluate policies and programs; to determine which services the municipality provides; to ensure that administrative practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of Council; and to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality.

Meetings of Council and the Committee of Whole are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. All Council Meetings are open to the public and are held in the Council Chambers located at 600 Tomlinson Drive, Port Elgin, Ontario. Visit our Council Meetings page for an overview of how your Council conducts business.

Simply click on a name above to send an email message to a Council member.

Code of Conduct for Elected Officials

In addition to their statutory obligations, the Mayor and Members of Council adopted By-law 59-2017 to establish a Code of Conduct for Saugeen Shores Elected Officials, Local Boards and Advisory Committees.

Your 2014-2018 Municipal Council

Mayor Mike SmithMike Smith grew up in Saugeen Shores, attended GC Huston Public School in Southampton and SDSS in Port Elgin. Mike is married to Donna, and is the proud father of two daughters and even prouder grandfather to one grandson and granddaughter. He worked at Bruce Power for 33 years and retired in 2006.

Mike's political career began in the former Township of Saugeen in the mid 1980's. He was elected as Deputy Mayor for Saugeen Shores in 2000 and became Mayor in 2006.

As a Member of Council for many years, he has served on various Committeees and Boards. Mike has also been involved in: the Saugeen Track & Field Club; the Lakeshore Winterhawks Senior Hockey Club; and the Board of Directors of the Bruce Community Development Corporation.

Mayor Smith currently serves on County Council, the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority, the Grey Bruce Board of Health and is ex-officio to all Committees appointed by Council.

Deputy Mayor Luke CharbonneauLuke Charbonneau lives in Saugeen Shores with his wife Alison and their young sons.

Luke, along with his parents Norman and Nora, are the owners of Hi-Berry Farm, a vegetable and fruit market located on Highway 21 between Southampton and Port Elgin.

Luke was first elected as Councillor in 2006 and has been the Deputy Mayor since 2010. In addition, he has been the Chair of the Saugeen Shores Police Services Board since 2010 and is also the Chair of the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority.

Vice Deputy Mayor Diane HuberDiane Huber had a great beginning at GC Huston Public School and SDSS, which led to a University Degree in Public Administration and a 20 year career in university student recruitment/admissions. Diane was fortunate to have experiences in the Caribbean, Europe, Israel and Egypt and adventures across Canada. She always maintained a home in Saugeen Shores and decided to move back permanently in 2003.

Diane's Council involvement started on the Planning Committee. She has had two successful elections as the Southampton Ward Councillor and now sits as Vice Deputy Mayor. She started in politics at a young age with guidance from Mrs. Eby and Miss Collard from CG Huston, whom she thanks for encouraging exploration and promoting involvement beyond what she knew. She is a member of the Propeller Club and the Cham-bettes. She is the proud Aunt and Great-Aunt to some really cool kids.

Diane is currently on the Planning, Recreation & Active Transportation and Municipal Heritage Committees.

Port Elgin Councillor Neil MenageCouncillor Neil Menage emigrated from England in 1969. Neil married his high school sweetheart from SDSS here in Port Elgin, Faye (formerlly from Brockville). They raised a family of three (all graduates of Saugeen Central and SDSS), with two daughters and one son now married, many grandchildren. He was employed by the Bruce Power Site for 42 years as a Nuclear Operator and in various training positions, including Training Manager for AECL on the retube effort for Bruce Units 1 and 2.

Neil is thankful for having the perfect community to live in and which to raise a family. Life doesn't get any better! He is also thankful for the election support and honoured to serve as Councillor for the Port Elgin Ward.

Neil is currently on the Emergency Management Program Committee, Waterfront Ad Hoc, the Chamber of Commerce and the Port Elgin BIA.

Port Elgin Councillor John RichCouncillor John Rich is a newly appointed Councillor for Port Elgin Ward. He currently lives in Saugeen Shores with his wife Tara Somerville and their three boys, Leif, Hiatt and Eian. His boys attend Saugeen Central School.

He believes that we are all better when we are working toward a common goal. He would like to build on the success of Saugeen Shores and ensure we create a community that inspires health, creativity and economic success far into the future.

John is currently on the Saugeen Rail Trail Association and the Bruce Area Solid Waste Recycling Board.

Saugeen Councillor Mike MyattCouncillor Mike Myatt's career in municipal government spanned 37 years, with his final 10 years serving as the Director of Community Services for Saugeen Shores. Mike takes great pride in his volunteer work, having coached various minor sports teams. He is currently a Port Elgin Cenotaph Committee Member, Ontario Parks Association Treasurer, and he has just completed his term with the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Mike and his wife Jean have two sons, Jeff and Andy. Jeff married Katie and reside in Saugeen Shores with their children Peyton and Colby. Andy married Melanie and are residing in Hamilton.

Mike is currently on the Planning Committee, the Waterfront Ad Hoc and the Bruce Power Physician Recruitment Committee.

Saugeen Councillor Dave MyetteCouncillor Dave Myette moved to Saugeen Shores from Mississauga in 1997 to work at the then Ontario Hydro BNPD, later Bruce Power. The Myette family moved onto a hobby farm of 8 acres, where they keep goats, sheep, a dog, cats and chickens. Dave is married to his lovely wife Melinda and have three loving daughters, Renee, Sydney and Simonne.

Dave worked for Ontario Hydro/OPG/Bruce Power since 1982, retiring in January 2015 as an Operations Specialist.

His initial involvement with the Town was as a member and later Chair of the Parks and Trails Advisory Committee. He is currently on the Police Services Board, the Economic Development Committee and the Airport Committee.

In addition to being a Councillor, he chairs the United Way of Bruce Grey Board of Directors and is the Manager of the Port Elgin Fish Hatchery.

Southampton Councillor Cheryl GraceCouncillor Cheryl Grace is serving her first term on Saugeen Shores Council. She is an active community volunteer: Southport Canadian Federation of University Women executive member; Chantry Island Tour Guide; GC Huston Breakfast Program worker; Past Director of the Southampton Residents Association; and Save Our Saugeen Shores.

With degrees from the Universites of Toronto and Western Ontario, she taught high school for 30 years in Ann Arbor, Michigan; founding and coaching her school's state-champion Mock Trial Team.

A Bruce County native, Cheryl and her husband Mike summered in Southampton before retiring here in 2011. They have two children, Lindsay and Perry.

She is presently a member of the Accessibility Committee, the Economic Development Committee and Saugeen Rail Trail Association.

Southampton Councillor Don MathesonCouncillor Don Matheson lives in Saugeen Shores, and has all his life. He is married to Sarah (Kennedy) and they have two teenaged children, Victoria and Nicholas.

He teaches High School at SDSS in Port Elgin. He plays and coaches many sports, but is particularly fond of hockey, and spends a lot of time at the arena. Over the past 10 years he has been fortunate enough to have taken students to France, Italy, Germany, Holland and Belgium to trace Canada's history through the World Wars. This has been the highlight of his career.

As a Councillor, his goals over the next four years are to help guide Saugeen Shores in the right direction, so that we are a healthy, vibrant and active community.